New Jersey has become the latest state to introduce
legislation that would change the way independent contractors are classified. ASTA
is urging members in New Jersey to contact their legislators to lobby for an
exemption for travel advisors.
The legislation, introduced by Senate President Steve Sweeney,
would implement what ASTA described as a "rigid" test to determine which
workers are employees and which are ICs.
ASTA said it is similar to legislation recently introduced
in New York state as well as legislation that has since
been signed into law in California.
ASTA was successful in securing an exemption for travel
advisors in California and is actively working to do so in New York and New Jersey.
"The New Jersey legislature is in a lame-duck session
through the end of the year and could take final votes on this bill in the next
few weeks," ASTA said in its Travel Advisor Daily newsletter. "It is critical
that we convince legislators to amend the bill to protect the IC model in our
industry, as we successfully did in California and will have to do in neighboring
New York next year."
New Jersey residents are encouraged to use ASTA's grassroots
portal to send a message to legislators.